January 21, 2024, 06:08 PM
A 49-year-old man was involved in a standoff with the Singapore police for three hours on the evening of Jan. 20, 2024.
He was allegedly naked and armed with a chopper and frying pan before he was subdued by the police.
Man allegedly holding knife in public
According to The Straits Times (ST), the police received a call for assistance at Block 623 Hougang Avenue 8 at 8:05pm that day.
Chinese media Shin Min Daily News reported that a resident allegedly saw the man holding a knife and loitering in the vicinity of a nearby coffee shop.
The police's preliminary investigations revealed that the man allegedly armed himself with a knife in public before he returned to his home at Block 626 Hougang Avenue 2.
Hid between tree branches
He supposedly refused to allow police officers to enter his flat, armed himself with a chopper and a frying pan sometime later, and climbed onto the kitchen ledge.
The man, who was allegedly in the nude, then made his way to the roof of a connecting sheltered walkway.
A three-hour standoff between the man and the attending officers ensued.
Shin Min reported that the man was hiding in between the tree branches and leaves, and the foliage was so thick that the officers had to use their flashlights to see him.
The police said to ST that officers from the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit and Singapore Civil Defence Force were at the scene as the man was assessed to pose a danger to himself.
Image from Shin Min Daily News.
Image from Shin Min Daily News.
Man jumped off, gets arrested
Around midnight, the man jumped from the roof of the sheltered walkway, Shin Min reported.
The police said the man was secured and subdued following his fall.
He suffered minor injuries and was conscious when taken to the hospital. No other person was injured.
Image from Shin Min Daily News.
A resident recounted seeing the man covered in blood and suggested that the man could have been scratched by the tree branches he tried to hide in while on the roof of the sheltered walkway.
The man was subsequently apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act, and arrested for possessing an offensive weapon and appearing nude in public.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Top image from Shin Min Daily News
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